Hearts In Atlantis
by bLuEcOoKiE
Summary: Hermione is 22 years old, and is feeling confused about who she is and what she might really want out of life. She decides to pursue her childhood dream of being a singer. Along the way, she runs into an old 'acquaintance'. HG/DM GW/BZ HP/NM
1. Arriving At Atlantis

**.:*Hearts In Atlantis*:.**

**Chapter 1**

**Arriving At Atlantis**

Hermione Granger was tired.

That really was the only way to put it, all other feelings seemed, well, like an overreaction. She wasn't sad, she told herself, much less depressed. She wasn't angry, or outraged, or about to lose control. She didn't feel hatred , revulsion, loathing or even dislike towards him. Of course she didn't feel happy, pleased or even content. So what did that leave? Tired. That's what she was. Because tired sounded much more acceptable than empty.

**.:*******:.**

September 26th, 2001

Wednesday

11:19 P.M.

The plane landed on the runway with a thud that made her body suddenly realize that it was back on solid ground. Startled, she sat up in her seat and looked out the window at the night glow of the city. As they taxied along the intertwined runways, she couldn't help but feel her anxiousness take a tight grip on her heart. It suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe properly, and she unconsciously brought up one of her now slightly sweating hands to her mouth, even though she had stopped chewing on her nails years ago.

The pilot's voice came over the speakers, "Welcome to Lynden Pindling International Airport, in the beautiful city of Nassau. There are clear skies tonight, and the current temperature is twenty-two degrees Celsius, seventy-three degrees Fahrenheit. If you have any luggage to claim, please proceed to band C. Thank you for flying with us, and enjoy your stay in the Bahamas."

She nervously got off the plane and, once she had retrieved her luggage, began to look for whoever was sent to pick her up. After a few seconds of scanning the crowd, she saw a man holding a tiny sign which read, simply, "GRANGER". He was a dark-skinned man, around 6'11, with a perfectly shaved head, the physique of a professional body-builder and dressed in a black chalk-striped Armani suit. She made her way over to him hoping he wasn't nearly half as mean as he looked. When she was still a few feet away, he seemed to recognize her and his face broke into a smile that looked entirely to sweet and kind for a man like him. Not that she actually knew what kind of man he was, of course.

"Miss Granger!" the man exclaimed in a deep voice, as he took two giant steps forward and extended his enormous hand, "My name is Mikol Aalif."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aalif." she said as she shook his hand, her anxiety slowly dissipating.

"Please Miss Granger, call me Mikol."

"Only if you call me Hermione!" she said with a grin, and blushed slightly.

A deep, rumbling chuckle came from his chest, as he bent to pick up her bags and led the way outside to the limousine idling at the curb. "I can already tell. You and I will get along magnificently."

Hermione beamed as she sat across from her new bodyguard.

**.:*******:.**

September 27th, 2001

Thursday

12:22 A.M.

She looked around at her room, and snorted. Room? No. This was a penthouse, at the very top of the island's most prestigious resort, Atlantis, and it was ridiculously luxurious. At least it was for her taste, but hey, if they wanted to lavish her with luxury, well so be it. Who was she to refuse the attention? She had always had a beautiful, angelical singing voice that immediately mesmerized and enchanted all who heard it. She had been a part of her church's choir, and took singing classes every Saturday up until the day she got her Hogwarts letter. After that, she might as well have forgotten she had a voice. There was always so much going on when your two best friends were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Mysteries needed to be solved, Quidditch games needed to be cheered on, homework essays had to be written, Harry and Ron's asses' needed to be constantly saved, and oh, yeah, the world needed to be rescued from Voldermort. In between all of that, she hadn't really missed her singing too much. In fact, the only time she could remember thinking about it while at Hogwarts had been during the Yule Ball, when she had seen the Weird Sisters playing and had affectionately remembered her childhood dream to one day be a famous singer. Now here she was, just recently turned 22 years old, and about to make her dream come true. She had been approached by a Mr. Robinson just two weeks ago, the day after her birthday, and had asked her if she might be interested in singing at a new wizarding nightclub that would be unveiled within a month. The nightclub was to be inside of the world famous Atlantis Resort and Casino, in the Bahamas.

Hermione was no fool. It's not like someone had heard her singing in the shower one day and realized her potential. No, she knew that she was being offered this position only because the entire wizarding world knew who she was, and that was sure to make the island's (and therefore the resort's) tourism shoot through the roof. Why not though? It's not like her career in the Ministry was anything but a dead end. Apparently, people still thought she was too bossy and nerdy for her own good, so she hadn't had any promotions in the three years she'd been there. And her relationship with Ron had ended a year earlier, when they both realized that even though they loved each other, it didn't mean they were in love with each other. So yeah, why not? She wanted, no, needed, to find out who she might have been if she hadn't been so wrapped up trying to end a war. And so, she had quit her job, said good-bye to everyone, and left for the Bahamas.

She was feeling extremely drained, and was not in any mood to explore her new home, much less start unpacking her belongings. Therefore, she simply got her outfit ready for the next day, changed into her pajamas, and decided the shower could wait 'till morning. A loud "oomph" escaped her as she collapsed unto her new queen-sized bed. It had been quite an exhausting day, and all she wanted was to sleep. She would have to meet a tremendous amount of people tomorrow, and she knew the next two weeks would be grueling; she had a lot of hard work ahead of her. As sleep came and almost immediately claimed her, her last thought was that she was finally free. Free to be whoever Hermione Granger actually might be.

**.:*******:.

* * *

**

**A/N: Ok. So this is my first fan fic. Ever. I've written all kinds of other stuff before, but dealing with characters that everyone already knows (and therefore they already have a preconcieved notion of what these characters should or should not act like) is slightly unnerving. I am writing this first and foremost for myself, but of course I would love it if you guys liked it too. Even though the first chapter is all about Hermione, this is going to be a Dramione so be patient. I'm planning on having him make his first appearance next chapter. Well, please review and let me know if you like it so far, (or not) and especially if you have any tips for my on my writing. Thank All! XD**


	2. Draco's Daffodils

**Disclaimer: Okay people, listen up 'cause I'm only going to say this once. I DO NOT own any Harry Potter related material that is canon. I DO NOT own the Atlantis Resort (yes, it's real), nor do I own the Bahama Islands. I DO however, own this plot and any original characters found therein. I DO NOT profit from this in any way. DO NOT SUE ME. It will be pointless, as I am trying to steal nothing.**

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

Chapter 2

Draco's Daffodils

September 27th, 2001

Thursday

7:30 A.M.

The alarm clock's shrill cry rent the tranquil morning air and stung Hermione's eardrums. With a groan, she rolled over in her bed, and after four tries, was finally able to hit the snooze button. She had her first meeting of the day at 8:30, just an hour away, and she had to take a shower, somehow tame her hair, get dressed, do her make-up, and maybe squeeze in a bite or two of something edible. "Grrr… ," she grumbled, as she forced herself to leave the warm comfort of her bed.

Forty-five minutes later, and she was riding down the elevator towards the lobby, still chewing a bite of bagel. She wearing a curve-hugging, royal blue halter top dress that flared at the waist, matching wedge-heel flip-flop sandals, her hair half up in a sapphire clip, and half down in large, loose curls. Her make-up was barely noticeable, nothing except mascara, a nude lipstick and a light dusting of blush. She would have never managed to get ready in time if she wasn't a witch, she thought. Thank goodness for small miracles. The elevator doors slid open and she briskly walked into the lobby, towards a slim, middle-aged man who sat in a loveseat. Mr. Robinson was the Head of Human Resources for Atlantis and all of its employees, and was here today to introduce her to her new talent manager.

"Miss Granger," he said, his slanted eyes crinkling into a smile as he stood and bowed his head in her direction, "I am afraid that since you are a few minutes early, your new Manager has not yet arrived. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," she said as she sat opposite him. Her anxiousness from the previous night seemed to have returned full blast, from one second to the other. She crossed her legs and unconsciously began tapping her fingers upon her crossed knees. She noticed, and pulled her hand back into her lap, but then started jiggling her crossed leg. Mr. Robinson seemed to notice her nervousness, and leaning forward, cleared his throat.

"I suppose I should tell you a bit about him before you meet him. He is still very young, at least in his line of business, but he has already proven that he is one of the best at what he does. When one first meets him, the general first impression is that he is perhaps a bit too… patronizing… for lack of a better word." Here he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Please, do not misunderstand me. It's not that he is a dislikable person, really. It just takes some time to get used to his personality." When she heard this her nerves got, if possible, even worse. She had worried about this before: What if she didn't get along with some of the people she had to work with? Her mind immediately started showing her about a dozen different scenarios of what this morning's meeting might go like, and none of them ended with her keeping her job. She shook her head to clear it. She had already made her decision to do this, and was not going to let someone else take this away, much less a man. Much less a man whose only flaw (apparently) was a strange personality.

"Don't worry Mr. Robinson," she said with conviction, "I'm positive we can find a way to work together." She smiled sweetly as she finished her sentence. That seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders. "Excellent, excellent!" He then looked over her shoulder, smiled and said, "In fact, there he is now."

Hermione swiveled her head to look over her shoulder at the newcomer, and then froze. No. Fucking. Way. Dressed in a baby-blue, long-sleeved, button-up shirt, a set of white dress pants, paired with a belt and dress shoes made of albino crocodile skin, and gracefully walking over towards her and Robinson was… Draco Malfoy. She immediately tried to think of a way to get out of this situation. She didn't want him to be her manager! Then a terrifying thought occurred to her. After her last statement to Robinson, there was no way she could try to get out of working with him and not make it look like _she_ was the prejudiced bigot. And so, realizing the position she was now in, she decided to make the best of it. She would make this work! She also decided to immediately make it known to him that she would try to be amiable, and then hope for the best. Besides, not even Malfoy was worth a migraine this early in the morning.

"Draco Malfoy. It's nice to see you again," she said, as she stood and took a step towards him, a small tentative smile forming on her lips.

"Hermione Granger, always a pleasure," he answered with a smile of his own. He had hesitated for a second, seemingly caught off guard, but had recovered quickly. He was nothing, if not suave. She on the other hand, had absolutely no idea what else to say. He had said 'always a pleasure', but what did that mean? He had never claimed to find anything but revulsion for her very existence, during their school years. Was that his was of telling her that he still felt the same way as 'always' without letting Robinson know? One sentence and he had already boggled her mind. Fortunately, the silence did not last long.

"I take it you have met each other before, then?" Mr. Robinson's features seemed to project relief at the thought.

"Oh, yes. We've known each other since we were eleven years old," Draco smirked, as he turned around to look at the man.

"We attended school together," she quickly amended, seeing the slightly shocked look on the older man's face, "at Hogwarts."

"I see," he said, "well in that case, I think my presence is no longer needed. Miss Granger, if you should need anything, anything at all, please feel free to come by my office. Good Day." With that, he bowed and left the lobby, walking towards the elevators.

Draco turned towards her as soon as they were alone and gave her a slow smile that she didn't quite know how to interpret, "Well, first things first Granger. Have you had breakfast yet?"

She was not going to count half of a plain bagel as a meal, and she assumed that their first meeting might be slightly less awkward if they had food between them. Actually, it seemed she couldn't come up with a good reason to not have a harmless breakfast meeting with her new Manager.

"Why, Draco Malfoy!" she said with mock incredulity, "Are you offering to buy me breakfast?" She gave him a sly smile as he burst out laughing.  
"You can't believe it either, huh? Well, it seems we have both matured since we last saw each other. I am hoping that we can get along now, and leave the childlike behavior behind us. As I plan to be working with you from now on I would much rather not bicker incessantly. Although I do appreciate your quick wit," he finished with a wink. It was her turn to laugh.

"Yes, it does seem that we both have grown. Hopefully for the better… and I agree, I would much rather get along than trade insults all day." That had always bothered her about Harry and Ron, though she would never admit it, and much less to Malfoy.

"In that case, why don't we finish having this discussion while we eat?" Draco pointed to one of the business fronts on the other side of the lobby which had a large sign reading "Murray's Deli" across it's windows. He offered her his arm, and lead the still slightly shocked Hermione towards the doors. Still a few feet from the entrance, he stopped and turned to look at her.

"Oh, I almost forgot, these are for you."

He pulled bouquet of the daffodils from his sleeve with a flourish, just like a Muggle 'Magician'. Hermione giggled, blushed, and hid her face in the flowers by pretending to smell them. She was not at all sure what it was she should say. She hadn't ever received flowers from someone that was not her boyfriend, except for birthdays, and even then that was usually just her Dad. So she simply smiled, and taking his arm again, she walked on towards the diner.

.:*******:.

**A/N: Thanks for reading so far! ;D Please review and let me know what you think of the plot so far. I'm excited about this chapter because now the story can really start to take off, but I'm not sure**** if Draco came across as I intended. I was going for a "sarcastic, slightly arrogant, but in good humor" vibe, not the "he's suddenly a sweet guy for no good reason". Yes, yes. I know their interaction is painfully short. I promise the next chapter will be the complete opposite though, so have patience with me! Ha ha.**


	3. Ridiculous Rage

**A/N: This fic is rated M for a few reasons; one of them is language. I personally don't think the language in this chapter is really that bad, or that it's too much, but I thought I'd warn you. ;)**

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

Chapter 3

Ridiculous Rage

September 27th, 2001

Thursday

8:45 A.M.

Murray's Deli was abuzz with animated conversation and a plethora of activity. There was so much energy in the place, that you could literally feel it charge you as you walked in. She suddenly felt more awake, and maybe even a bit excited. The eatery looked like a eccentric fusion between a '50s diner and a New York deli. It was already mostly full and Hermione could only imagine what it would look like in a few hours; she shivered at the thought. The hostess led them to a crescent-shaped, leather bucket booth at the very rear, in a corner with a window.

"Your server will be with you shortly, in the mean time, what would you like to drink?" she asked.

"Coffee for me, please." Hermione answered with a smile, while Draco looked at her with a combination of curiosity and amusement.

"I'll have an orange juice," he told the hostess.

"I'll have them right over." She was gone so fast, Hermione thought she must have blinked.

"Coffee? Really? Is that how you managed to somehow study for hours on end, back in school? It's amazing how you still had the energy to answer each and every question ever

asked by a professor." He smirked as he perused his menu.

She chose to ignore his last comment, and scoffed at the first one, "Me, abuse coffee to study? Not at all, my dear Draco. That was just a little something called willpower and determination. Something I thought a Slytherin, more so a Malfoy, was sure to recognize," she laughed. "No, the coffee is one of a few terrible habits I have acquired since then."

"I'm not sure if there's a veiled compliment in there or not." He grinned at her smugly.

"You may take it as one, I suppose," she said sighing dramatically, as if giving in to a stubborn child.

"In that case, I will." He paused, raised his right eyebrow slightly, and asked, "What are these other 'terrible habits' you seemed to have picked up? If you don't mind me asking." He snapped his menu closed, placed it on the table and looked at her expectantly.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, if we're going to be working together," she answered, snapping her menu closed as well. Just then the waitress arrived and placed their drinks on the table. "Good Morning, my name is Kara, and I will be your server today. Have you decided on what to order, or would you like more time?" she asked.

"I think we're ready. I would like the breakfast special, the eggs over-easy, with sausage links, not bacon, and a bagel instead of the toast," Hermione finished with a smile, but noticed that Draco was giving her that amused/curious look again. She had anticipated all of the girl's questions, and Kara just nodded as she scribbled furiously, trying to catch up.

"And for you?" she asked Draco.

"I'll have an omelet, with mushrooms, spinach, sausage and mozzarella cheese. I would also like a side of ranch salad dressing." This time it was Hermione's turn to raise her eyebrow at him, as she fought with the corner of her mouth trying to make it stay down. She would have never expected him to order that, yet it seemed to suit him perfectly somehow. The thought was so strange (since she could hardly say she knew him anymore), that it proved too much and she burst out laughing. After at few seconds, Draco began laughing openly as well. They went on that way for a couple of minutes, neither one of them even knowing what they were laughing about. They finally quieted down, although Hermione was hiccupping a bit and they were both still wiping at their eyes. She took a moment to look out the window, at the deep blue ocean waves crashing against the white sandy beach. She sighed and smiled, she hadn't felt this carefree in a long time. Who would have ever thought she would be at ease while having a breakfast/business meeting with humankind's greatest aggravation, Draco Malfoy. She giggled softly and pressed her forehead to the glass.

"So this is what you left me for, Hermione?"

The voice that came from beside her, bursting with pain and anger, made her spin her head around in a nanosecond. She barely had time to register Draco turning, apparently, he too had been looking out the window. The thought was quickly shattered and shoved aside as she saw who stood before her.

"Ron?" she asked, bewildered. She sputtered for a second, then started firing off questions, "What are you doing here? Is everything alright? How did you eve know where to find me? Why didn't you owl me first?" The last question was laced with impatience bordering on anger.

"What for? So you can lie to me some more? I can't believe you would do this to me, and much less over… Malfoy," he said the last word through a clenched jaw, as if he was trying to shred the word to pieces as he said it.

"WHAT? What are you even TALKING about Ronald? I never…"

"NO Hermione!" He interrupted her harshly. "You said you didn't feel you loved me anymore, and that you weren't sure who you were and all that… I figured that I should give you time to get over the whole 'war thing', so I did! It's been over a year now, and I've let you run around and try to figure yourself out. And then you show up out of nowhere yesterday, and tell me you're leaving? And you don't even tell me where you're going? And when I finally find you, you're sitting here with this piece of shit, smiling like you don't know that I'm worried sick over you. No, I don't think so, Hermione. You can't just run away anymore, I won't let you. I'm here to take you home".

"Let me? LET ME?… Take me?" she sputtered, but just then the waitress came up carrying two plates, and placed them on the table. Hermione took a deep, deep breath. "Kara? We're going to step outside for a moment, and will be back."  
"Of course, take you're time," Kara said, giving Hermione a quick smile as she walked away.

"Ronald, Draco, we're going outside to sort this out," she ordered, "I'm gonna need a fuckin' cigarette for this one…" She mumbled the last part mostly to herself, but Draco heard and raised an eyebrow. He was undoubtedly wondering when in the world she had started smoking, and more importantly, why he was needed outside. However, he must have decided that he didn't feel like getting his head chopped off right at the moment, since he just stood and followed her out.

Once they were outside, Hermione lit a Camel Menthol, and took a few furious drags as she paced up and down the sidewalk. Once she felt her sense of control kick back in she swiveled to face the two wizards. She zeroed in on Ron Weasley.

"Okay, listen up, Ginger," she spat the last word, pointing towards him with the two fingers holding her cigarette, her eyes blazing, "I'm only going to say this once. I did love you, and I still do, but not in the way you want me to. I'm a different person now; people do change you know. I love myself for who I am, and will not change for you or anyone else on this Earth. I have never lied to you. In fact, it seems to me that you were the one who lied, since you reassured me that you felt the same way I did about where our relationship was headed. You can't manipulate me like that Ron! Furthermore, you do not have to 'let me' do anything, nor do you have the right to 'take me' anywhere. I do what I need to do, go where I need to go. I do what is best for ME. Right now, this is what is best for me. No, don't you dare fucking say it… I am not here with Malfoy. I came here to make a career, to do what I love to do, and try to make something out of my life. Malfoy just happens to be the best talent manager around these days. Petty school rivalries have little to do with the real world. I've grown up, so has he and everyone else. Time for you to catch up to the rest of the world, Ron." She finished softly and looked away at the ocean.  
"Fuck you." He said it softly, but full of a venom she had never known could even exist within him. "I'm tired of you treating me like I'm fucking mentally retarded. I may not be as smart as you Hermione, but who the hell is, anyway? You've always talked to me in such a condescending way… It's like you look at me as a pet. So go ahead, have your 'life', if that's what you call running away and hiding from the world. I'm done with this bullshit." Ron was beet red, face scrunched up in rage, breathing heavily, a vein popping out of his temple and a bit of sweat on his upper lip. Suddenly, he turned on the spot and Apparated away. Hermione stood there for a moment, looking at the ocean once again. Realizing her cigarette was out, she walked back towards the door. She stopped at the ash tray by the door and tossed in her cigarette butt. She stood there, just looking at the ash tray, until she suddenly felt Draco standing behind her. She felt a cautious hand rest on her shoulder. It brought her back, and taking a deep breath, she turned to look at him.

"Shall we go back inside and have our breakfast? It's probably cold by now, and we still haven't had our business meeting you know," she smiled up at him tentatively, hoping that he would have the sense to not mention what had just happened.

"A cold breakfast? Heavens, no! Did you forget I'm a wizard?" He exclaimed obviously trying to lighten her mood.

"Draco Malfoy, did you put a Warming Charm on our plates?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "In the middle of a muggle restaurant?"

"But of course!" he exclaimed, "I have priorities, after all." Linking her hand through his arm as she giggled, he led her back to their booth. As they resumed their seats, Hermione forcefully pushed away all thoughts of Ron. She would think about that later.

"Ah, yes. As I recall, you and I were just laughing at our respective meal choices." Draco took a sip of orange juice and then continued. "So here's my stance on the matter, mine is not only more nutritious, it also is more visually appealing," he proclaimed, as he gave her a look that clearly said 'Ha! Beat that!'.  
She snickered before saying, "Visually, all it does for me is remind me that I have a gag reflex."

He laughed uproariously at this, before replying, "It's people that usually have that effect on me, to be honest."

She threw a sugar packet at him, as she laughed, "Alright Mr. Malfoy, lets get down to business, shall we?"

.:*******:.

**A/N (again): This seemed like a really long chapter to me, I hope you all don't mind. I just kinda got carried away. Hee hee. So I would like to ask, what do _you_ prefer chapters to be like? Shorter, with faster updates? Or longer, with a tad bit more time in between? I would appreciate any and all input! XD**


	4. Business Babble

**A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone who added this story to their alerts! And thank you SOOO much to those who reviewed. As I'm sure you know yourselves, each new email brings immesurable joy. You guys are fantabulastic! **

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

_Previous Chapter_

_"Ah, yes. As I recall, you and I were just laughing at our respective meal choices." Draco took a sip of orange juice and then continued. "So here's my stance on the matter, mine is not only more nutritious, it also is more visually appealing," he proclaimed, as he gave her a look that clearly said 'Ha! Beat that!'. _  
_She snickered before saying, "Visually, all it does for me is remind me that I have a gag reflex." _  
_He laughed uproariously at this, before replying, "It's people that usually have that effect on me, to be honest." _  
_She threw a sugar packet at him, as she laughed, "Alright Mr. Malfoy, lets get down to business, shall we?_

.:*******:.

Chapter 4

Business Babble

September 27th, 2001

Thursday

9:38 A.M.

"Well, Miss Granger," he snickered, before visibly making an a effort to regain his composure. Once he succeeded he continued, "I think we should begin by you telling me what it is you might want out of this. What I mean is, where is it you want your singing career to go?" He began to eat his omelet. As he did so he looked at her steadily, waiting for her reply.

"Umm, well… I… I'm not too sure yet. I suppose that's where you come in." She blushed at admitting that she did not have an action plan. She was Hermione Granger, she always had an action plan! She tried to hide her blush by gulping down some of her coffee.

"No worries. You'd be surprised at how many celebrities have no idea what it is they want. I'll ask you a few questions to help us find out what would be the best trajectory for you." He took another bite, and when he was done chewing, began his questioning. "First and foremost, are you planning on writing your own material, having someone else write it for you, or doing covers of other artists' songs?"

She thought for a few minutes, as she dug into her eggs. Finally, she answered, "Well, I don't really like the idea of someone else writing 'my songs', since that is what they will be perceived as, so I think I'll write them myself. I think though, that I might want to do a few cover songs every here and there, you know, my version of my favorite songs."

"Alright, perfect. Next, I know you have a contract with Atlantis to stay at Aura for a year, but what about after that? Would you like to sign another contract and stay? For much better pay of course, we would renegotiate said contract. Or, considering that by then you should have a wide fan base, would you rather launch your own album, maybe make a world tour?"

"You're saving the easy ones for last, aren't you?" She said sweetly and sent him an annoyed glance, as she drummed her fingers on the table. "Does that question have to be answered now? Can't it wait until we're closer to the end of the contract?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I have to know were it is that your career is going, so I can start paving the road right away. If you wait to make a decision, it'll only make it harder for you in the long run."

"I see." She took a bite out of her bagel, and pondered the question. " I think… I would rather not be confined to one venue. Singing exclusively at the Aura doesn't really leave me much opportunity for growth, does it?"

"No, it doesn't. I must say, it's rather refreshing to have a client with common sense. You wouldn't believe what I have to endure with the majority of them." He had finished his plate, and was now sipping his juice. "Next question: What do you want the public's image of you to be?"

"Ironically, the reason that I'm here right now is to find out who I am," she laughed humorlessly. Hearing his question, her mood had changed from contentment to apathy. "How am I supposed to establish an image, if I have no idea what I want the image to be?" She looked down at what was left of her breakfast, and pushed her plate away. Her appetite was suddenly missing in action.

"Hmmm… I wonder…" he mumbled to himself, then looked up at her, "You know, I think that could actually be the perfect solution. It will make it clear that you are your own independent person, not just the brains of the Golden Trio. The world has always seen you as part of a whole, but now that the war is over, and you've grown up, we'll market you as your own person, just wanting to express who and what you really are. They'll eat it up; they will feel like they are getting a glimpse into the life of a war hero, who just happens to be as normal as the next person. They'll love you, and you will be free to figure yourself out. If we tell the public that they don't know you, not only will they believe us, but they won't be able to get enough of you." He said it with such conviction, that Hermione didn't doubt for a second that it would work. She sat silently for a moment looking at her coffee, before she finally spoke, choosing her words carefully.

"I would like any fame and success I obtain to be due to my own hard work, and not because of manipulating my public image." She said it softly, almost unsure.

"Please, Granger," he scoffed, "we both know how intelligent you are. You know as well as I do, that politics are not just confined to the Ministry. The entertainment world is a well-oiled machine that runs on bribes, lies and manipulation. I suppose that's why I'm so successful at what I do. I don't need to remind you that when it comes to manipulation, I am the best there is. If you follow my advice, I promise you, success will be an understatement."  
She took another sip of her coffee, pretending to weigh her options. In reality she was wondering whether she should really be trusting the man sitting across from her. He had said it himself, he was the best when it came to manipulation. What if he was doing so right now? If he was though, what was in it for him? Nothing that she could think of, except perhaps more clients. Besides, he had changed… hadn't he? Could people really change that drastically? It had been known to happen, of course, but she knew he was both intelligent and devious enough to fool her with his eyes closed. Although he really did seem to be sincere, and she thought she had experienced enough to know when something was even slightly suspicious. After about five minutes had passed in silence, Draco cleared his throat and began speaking softly.

"Listen, I know that asking you to do whatever I tell you and follow my advice is not a light request. You have no trust in me, and it's not like I've ever given you reason to believe otherwise. So let me just say this: You are trying to find out who you are in spite of what the rest of the world believes you to be. I went through this as well. If fact, I suppose I still am. The day Voldemort fell I found myself standing in the Great Hall with my parents, amid the chaos, pain and confusion. A realization suddenly hit me as if it was the Hogwarts Express. My whole life I had tried to become what everyone believed I already was. Not necessarily because I wanted to, but because it was apparently expected of me. That day, not a single person cared enough to shun me. That feeling, of being just another person in the world was intoxicating. I decided I would be who I wanted myself to be, and have since been trying to find out who that is. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, it might seem that I haven't changed much, but I'm trying damn hard. I can be your manager without you trusting me, but until you do trust me, you're not going to get very far." Hermione was shocked, to say the least. As he had spoken that last sentence, she heard an echo of the boy that used to torment her in school, and she was suddenly able to appreciate the difference. Yet before she could think of an appropriate response, he spoke again. "Why did you want me to go outside with you and Weasley?" She could tell that he had tried very hard not to say his name with too much disdain.

"I honestly don't know," she told him. "No clue. Whatsoever."

"Come on, I know you have a reason. I suspect you might have needed a bit of moral support, even if it was from me, and even if I did nothing other than stand next to the wall. Even so, you apparently trusted me enough to let me overhear a very personal conversation. I don't see why you would do that, and then not trust me with your career."

"For your information, Mikol, my bodyguard, stopped by this morning and told me that he was not to accompany me to my meeting." She paused. "He said it was because who I was meeting with would be more than qualified to protect me, but that I should stick with him at all times." She blushed furiously as she rushed through her explanation. He looked as if he might be slightly amused, but then he plastered a scowl back on his face.

"Look Malfoy, it's not that I mistrust you, I just haven't had the chance to learn to trust you. You seem like a completely different person, and yet, the same person all at the same time. Quite frankly, it's a bit disconcerting. However, I do trust my gut instinct, and right now it's telling me to follow your advice; that you mean no harm." She smiled at him, hoping the discussion would turn back into a comfortable conversation. He once again surprised her when he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Of course I mean no harm! You're my client!" he told her, and she began to laugh as well. Once they regained their composure, he neatly changed the subject. "Do you remember Blaise Zabini, from Hogwarts?"

"Yes I do, actually. What about him?"

"He's done very well for himself since school, you know. He owns about sixty-five percent of the wizarding world's newspapers. Yes, I know. Not only can I not believe I didn't think of it myself, but the fact that nobody's stopping him, well to be honest, it baffles me. He'll have a world-wide monopoly on the news someday. Would you believe he even owns about twenty percent of the muggle papers too?" Draco grinned, with just a faint hint of pride.

"What? Twenty percent? Do you have any idea how many muggle papers there are? In the world?" She asked in a stunned voice, her eyes wide in shock.

He smirked and explained, "I am not counting all the muggle papers of course." He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "The important ones have influence over their countries, you know, and some have international sway as well. Those are the ones that set the trends, and effectively 'create' the news. Those are the ones he's setting his sights on. You know, I usually have lunch with him on Fridays, you should join us tomorrow. It would be a great opportunity for you to build a business relationship. With him on your side, you'll be on that world tour in no time." He gave her a devious smile.

"What about the possibility that he might not want to have a 'business relationship' with me? I am the damn Mudblood Gryffindor after all." She suddenly felt the sixteen year old girl in her re-surface. Dammit! Why was she acting this way? Draco's first reaction had been to sneer, and she realized that she had also caused his sixteen year old self to surface. Then he shook his head slightly, presumably to clear it. Once he had regained his regained his composure, he spoke.

"Look Granger. You just told Ronald Weasley a few minutes ago, that you had grown up. It's time to prove it. You and I seem to be getting along just fine, so why not give him the chance? I'm willing to vouch for him, you know. He was never really too enthusiastic about being a Death Eater, and managed to avoid it quite nicely. I'm sure he'd actually be pleased to see you again," he informed her.

"Oh, well, alright then, I suppose." She hastily replied. They had been getting along quite nicely, and she didn't want to hurt his pride and risk him getting angry. She'd hate to have their relationship be awkward.

"Excellent." He seemed to pull an agenda and a pen out of thin air. Opening it upon the table, Hermione had a quick glance of a page filled with writing. He made his notation quickly, then put the items away so quickly, they almost seemed to vanish. Hermione gave him a reprimanding look, and he had the decency to look slightly guilty.

"Well in that case, Miss Granger, I think we shall continue this particular conversation tomorrow at noon." He smiled at her, as he tossed a few bills on the table, "As it seems you have finished with your breakfast, I will take you too meet your instructors." He stood up out of the booth, and offered her his hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall." She took his hand without being too conscious of what she was doing. As she stood, she blushed as she realized this, and let his hand drop. "Although, I would like to get in another smoke before I go meet them, do you mind?" She smiled up at him and bit her bottom lip, which of course caused him to laugh uproariously once again.

"Not in the slightest. In fact, I'll join you this time, since I won't worried about a possible impending duel." He winked at her. "Plus, then you can take the time to tell me how exactly you, Hermione Granger, Gryffindor and representative of all things good and pure, ended up being a smoker." His old smirk was back, but this time, she could she the humor in it. This caused her to smile again, although somewhat bitterly. It was still amazing how much she had smiled in the past two hours, and with whom. She felt like she was in that muggle show, 'The Twilight Zone'.

.:*******:.

**A/N: I saw other authors will include a recap of the previous chapter, and I thought it was a great idea! I only put in the last bit though, to refresh your memory but not trick you into thinking I wrote a lot more than I actually did. ;)**


	5. Smoking, Sins, Simplicity

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

Previous Chapter

_"Well in that case, Miss Granger, I think we shall continue this particular conversation tomorrow at noon." He smiled at her, as he tossed a few bills on the table, "As it seems you have finished with your breakfast, I will take you too meet your instructors." He stood up out of the booth, and offered her his hand. "Shall we?"_  
_"We shall." She took his hand without being too conscious of what she was doing. As she stood, she blushed as she realized this, and let his hand drop. "Although, I would like to get in another smoke before I go meet them, do you mind?" She smiled up at him and bit her bottom lip, which of course caused him to laugh uproariously once again. _  
_"Not in the slightest. In fact, I'll join you this time, since I won't worried about a possible impending duel." He winked at her. "Plus, then you can take the time to tell me how exactly you, Hermione Granger, Gryffindor and representative of all things good and pure, ended up being a smoker." His old smirk was back, but this time, she could she the humor in it. This caused her to smile again, although somewhat bitterly. It was still amazing how much she had smiled in the past two hours, and with whom. She felt like she was in that muggle show, 'The Twilight Zone'. _

.:*******:.

Chapter 5

Smoking, Sins, Simplicity

September 27th, 2001

Thursday

10:25 A.M.

She couldn't quite explain why, but he was inspiring a new trust. Maybe it was all his smooth talking. She knew that he was very skilled at making people trust him. On the other hand, she liked to believe that she was not a gullible person, and so far, she had felt that he was being honest. Lighting her cigarette, she inhaled deeply. As she exhaled she said, "Alright, I suppose. It's not really a story that… well, um… yeah… alright." After one more puff, she began, "Once it was over, the War I mean, and all the questioning and testifying was done with, I was living at the Weasleys' for a while. Although I did have my own place for a couple of years before I was offered this job." She added in a slightly defensive tone, and dragged on her cigarette to buy some time before continuing. "At any rate, while I was there I began to gravitate a bit more towards Bill and Charlie. They stayed at The Burrow for a while to properly mourn for Fred with the rest of the family. Bill and Fleur moved back to Shell Cottage about six months later. I can't say I blame them, they were newlyweds you know. Charlie left around the same time that I did, I think about a year. Nevertheless, while we were all there I wasn't too comfortable spending time with anyone else. They all seemed to be so full of pain, but trying so hard to be cheery. I couldn't stand it; it was disgusting to see the façade everyone wore. I expect it was also because it was a bit like looking at a reflection. Bill and Charlie though, they seemed like they might be broken into a million pieces, but were somehow steadily mending and had made peace with it."

She paused and dragged on her cigarette while she blinked her suddenly stinging eyes rapidly. She was trying to think of how to go on. Thankfully, he didn't say anything, just patiently waited. After another puff, she resumed. "They would usually drink their worries away on the weekends, and I found myself joining in. We would drink a couple of times a week; Fleur would join in too, before she got pregnant. We hardly ever got too drunk, of course, but that is where I picked up smoking. I used to only smoke whenever I was drinking, but once I moved out on my own, it was all too easy to indulge since no one but Crookshanks was there to judge my smoking habits."

"I remember that beast, from school," he interrupted energetically; "It was a bit of a disturbing sight, honestly. You didn't bring that thing here with you, did you?" He sounded just a bit unnerved at the thought. "Is it even still around?" He looked hopeful. Hermione merely sighed, as she was already accustomed to this reaction towards Crookshanks. She had to admit his poor squashed face wasn't exactly striking, but he was still the best companion (not pet!) ever.

"You know, Teddy Lupin was always fond of him, for some odd reason. Don't look at me like that, I know that he's not exactly gorgeous, and his attitude doesn't help. I love him of course, but I'm not oblivious. Teddy seemed to cherish him so much though, and it was very hard on him when I first moved out of The Burrow. Therefore, when I decided to come here, I told him that I wanted him to adopt Crookshanks. That poor boy needs a friend anyway. I miss them both so much, but I'm glad to know they have each other." She giggled self-consciously as she put out her cigarette, and looked at him. "Sorry about all that mushiness. I'm a girl; I just can't help it sometimes." She said as she grinned at him.

"I'm used to it, don't you worry. I got my fair share of 'mushy' moments from being around Mother and Pansy during school years. After that, I've kept getting them steadily from my clients," he told her and raised his right eyebrow. After a beat he blurted out, "Is this Teddy Lupin, who I think he is? My nephew? Or whatever he might be to me, I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest. And if he is, what was he doing living at the Weasley's?" It sounded as if he had tried to rush it all out before he lost his nerve. It was actually somewhat endearing.

"Oh!" she giggled. "It is the same Teddy Lupin, and I think he is your nephew, but he didn't live at The Burrow! He was staying with Harry over at his house, Grimmauld Place. Harry is his godfather, you know, so he took him to live with him. Ironically, they live in a house he inherited from his own godfather. I managed to still see him often, as I kept in almost daily contact with Harry for most of the time."

"Grimmauld Place? As in the Black family home?" He looked incredulous. "How in the world did Potter get that house?"

"Like I said, he inherited it from his own godfather, Sirius Black," she answered, slightly exasperated at his slow uptake.

"Right, right… I had forgotten who his godfather was." He paused before adding, "It's a bit odd picturing Potter as a father figure, you know." He fell silent after that, apparently in deep thought. Hermione let him contemplate for a couple of minutes before clearing her throat. It was obvious that the current line of thinking was causing him some internal turmoil, though she had no indication as to why that might be. Suddenly, she had found that she didn't want to know.

"So, umm, how was it that you started smoking?" she asked, trying to switch back to the original topic.

"It's quite stupid, really." He smirked down at the cigarette between his fingers. "I was always striving to be as good as my father, and since he smoked, I figured I should too. He always seemed to leave his packs lying around, and when I was fourteen, I finally got up the courage to actually smoke one. I was terrified of what he would say when he eventually caught me. Yet somehow, it is now seven years later and he still has not said a word on the subject." He stabbed out his cigarette, and spoke with a bit more coolness in his voice, "We need to get going." He jerked his head toward the entrance, and began to walk away. Looking back he added, "There are people waiting on you, and we both have a lot to get done today, so lets move."

"Sir, yes sir!" she responded, as she did a military salute and somehow managed to smirk and a smile at the same time. It had the desired effect, and Draco broke into a reluctant grin. She reached him and this time, she linked her arm through his of her own accord, and began to pull him towards the resort. "Will you be present at the meetings with my new instructors?"

"No, it's not really necessary. This meeting is between you and them." They had reached the elevators just as a set of doors opened. He steered them into the metal cube and jabbed at the button marked 'B'. Once the doors had closed and they began their decent, he spoke again. "Look Granger, no matter what they might tell you, this career is yours. It does not need to go anywhere other than where you want it to go. I know I don't need to tell you to stand up for yourself and to not let them bully you into what they think will work for you."

"Of course you don't need to remind me, Malfoy. Standing up for myself is a skill I have perfected, as you well know." She responded haughtily, but belied her tone by winking at him.

The doors slid open, and he automatically offered his arm once more. As he led her through a maze of corridors, she took a few deep breaths to mentally prepare herself. She had told Mr. Robinson that she would not, I repeat, would not take the job offer unless they contracted a professional to be her singing and dancing coach. She still had great confidence in her singing voice, and didn't think her dancing was dreadful, but it was in her nature. If she was going to do anything, she would do it to the absolute best of her ability. Besides, she did not want to be perceived as someone who was just trying to extend their fifteen minutes of fame, without actually having any talent. She would prove to the wizarding world that book-reading and essay-writing were not her only fortes. After a few more minutes of walking, they came to a door with her name written on it in golden ink. There were three people waiting inside, who immediately stood as soon as she stepped through the door. The first was Mikol, who came to stand by Hermione's side at once, a protective look upon his face. She smiled sweetly at him, hoping to express her gratitude. The other two people in the room were her new instructors, and both women were giving her a warm smile.

"Hermione, this is Angelique and Abril, your singing and dancing instructors, respectively. Ladies, this is Hermione Granger."

"Pleasure to meet you," they all said simultaneously, which caused all three witches to burst out in giggles as they had a round of hand-shaking. Hermione took the opportunity to quickly and covertly look the women over. Angelique was a petite brunette who, despite looking like she was in her early thirties, had an air about her that reminded one of Minerva McGonagall. Except she seemed to have a bit more style. Her loose, wavy hair was pulled back on her left side, into an antique silver hair clip. Her eyes were framed in bright sunny-yellow designer eyeglasses. She was dressed in a knee-length white dress with a yellow floral print paired with white leather ballet flats, and wore a tear-drop yellow sunstone pendant on a simple white-gold necklace. Abril on the other hand, looked to be the exact inverse of Angelique. She was most likely in her late twenties, was about a foot taller than Hermione and had the slender build that seemed to only be attainable to dancers. She was wearing two layered tank tops, black and red, over an extremely diminutive pair of denim shorts. Her wheat-colored hair was pulled into two loose braids, and was streaked with black, purple and white-blond highlights. Her outfit was completed with a translucent red and black polka-dotted scarf that hung loosely around her shoulders and a pair of black sandals.

"Now then, seeing as I've delivered you back to Mr. Aalif safe and sound, I think I shall take my leave. Ladies," he nodded towards Angelique and Abril, "a pleasure to see you again. Hermione, I'll meet you tomorrow at eleven thirty in the lobby, for our lunch with Zabini." She nodded in agreement, and he turned towards the door. He gave a curt nod towards Mikol, "Mr. Aalif, I shall see you tomorrow as well."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy." Mikol responded in his deep voice, as he returned the nod.

Once the door closed, Hermione's face broke out in a smile. She had noticed that he purposefully called her by her first name, and she thought it was hilarious that he still cared so much about appearances. Although, surprisingly, she found it was quite nice to be on this side of things. He used to make certain that every one knew how much he despised her, and now it seemed, he wanted them to know that they got along. How very… interesting. Her thoughts were interrupted by a giggle coming from behind her, and she realized she had been staring and smiling at a closed door. Blushing slightly, she turned to see Abril give her sly grin.

"He is very handsome, and charming too." Abril told her in a staged whisper. It was clear that English wasn't her first language, and although her accent was starting to fade, and it sounded like she most likely came from South America, possibly Columbia.

"Handsome and charming, yes. However, it takes more than just good genes and good manners to make a good man. Don't either of you forget that." Angelique chimed in with her own accent, this one far more easily identifiable: French. "Not that I'm trying to say anything in particular about young Mr. Malfoy, I'm just speaking in general."

"I agree wholeheartedly Angelique," Hermione said quickly, and perhaps a little more loudly than necessary. She attempted to cut off the conversation before it got any more awkward. "He may be handsome, and no one can deny that he has an abundant amount of charm, but as you said that does not make him a good man. He and I have actually only just started getting along today, to be perfectly honest. During our school days he was much less agreeable than he is now, though I must admit, he seems to have made a very positive change in mentality since I saw him last."

"Well, a positive change sounds very encouraging to me!" came the enthusiastic reply from Abril. Hermione struggled not to roll her eyes.

.:*******:.

October 1st, 2001

Monday

10:42 P. M.

Hermione lay on her bed, completely and utterly exhausted. She was so tired that she was seriously considering skipping her nightly reading. The book in her hands didn't seem to want to open anyway, so she laid it on her nightstand. Angelique and Abril's meeting with her on Thursday morning had been in order to plan her lessons, which was no easy feat since she only had two weeks before her first performance. As a result, she would need to dedicate her lessons at least ten hours daily. Needless to say, the fist day of lessons had given her a raging migraine. All she wanted now was to have a quiet, peaceful night, preferably with massive amounts of sleep.  
She turned off her bedside lamp, and pulled her covers up to her chin. Just as she was about to fall into a deep slumber, there was a frantic knock at her door. She groaned and rolled over. Whatever it was, it could surely wait until tomorrow. However, the person at the door kept knocking vehemently, and didn't show any signs of going away. After another minute, she grudgingly got up from her bed and went to find out who it was that seemed to have a death wish. As she fumbled with the door's several locks, the knocking became even more urgent.  
"Will you please just give me fucking second?" she shrieked at the door. Her head was still pounding, and she was getting more irritated by the moment. "Goodness gracious, you'd think someone died or some…" Her voice died as she finally managed to open the door. She hadn't seen someone that looked so full of hopeless pain in years.  
"Ginny?" she gasped.

.:*******:.

**A/N: I didn't feel very inspired to write this chapter, and I'm sorry if it's not very good! It was a filler, and I just wanted to get it over with. Which of course only made it so that it took me longer to write the damn thing. Oh well, the next chapter will be better. Oh, and FYI, I know Ginny seems to appear suddenly, but I swear I'm not just randomly adding characters in the middle of the story; I had planned for her to make a late appearance. She won't be a main character though, so sorry to any Ginny fans out there. ;D**


	6. Midnight Madness

**A/N: Okay, so the reason I've been putting the date and time, is because the timeline will be somewhat… sporadic. I realized it might get a little confusing, so I went back and added what day it is as well, so hopefully that will help. I'm sorry if they website is going to send you an email for each chapter. If it's still confusing, or if you have any suggestions on how to make this issue a bit clearer, please, please, please… let me know. :D  
**

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

Previous Chapter

She turned off her bedside lamp, and pulled her covers up to her chin. Just as she was about to fall into a deep slumber, there was a frantic knock at her door. She groaned and rolled over. Whatever it was, it could surely wait until tomorrow. However, the person at the door kept knocking vehemently, and didn't show any signs of going away. After another minute, she grudgingly got up from her bed and went to find out who it was that seemed to have a death wish. As she fumbled with the door's several locks, the knocking became even more urgent.

"Will you please just give me fucking second?" she shrieked at the door. Her head was still pounding, and she was getting more irritated by the moment. "Goodness gracious,you'd think someone died or some…" Her voice died as she finally managed to open the door. She hadn't seen someone that looked so full of hopeless pain in years.

"Ginny?" she gasped.

**.:*******:.**

**Chapter 6**

**Midnight Madness**

October 2nd, 2001

Tuesday

1:08 A.M.

Exactly two seconds after Hermione had yanked her door open, she had been engulfed in a massive tangle of arms, red hair and tears. When she had put her arms around Ginny to give her a comforting hug, the girl turned limp in her arms unexpectedly and her agonized sobs increased in pitch. Not knowing what else to do, Hermione had kicked the door closed, and after half-carrying her over to an ivory sofa she sat them both down. She had kept her arms wrapped protectively around her friend to steady her, and Ginny leaned down into her shoulder, still sobbing uncontrollably. Her heart had broken at the desolation in Ginny's voice. There were only two things that could make the proud Gryffindor cry, and she was sure Ginny would have told her right away if someone dear to them was seriously injured, or dead. That left only one thing: Harry. She had a feeling that there had been a serious conflict between the two, and so she waited for her to feel ready to talk about it. Since, obviously, that was the reason why she had come to see her.

A couple of hours later, and it seemed that Ginny's tears where nearly spent, though hiccups appeared to be her new ailment. Hermione was rubbing her back, shushing her and absently mumbling into her red hair that it would be all right. She felt her tremble slightly, as she took a breath that seemed to reach her toes. Ginny straightened. She slowly lifted her head to look up at her, and gave her a sad, but grateful smile. Suddenly, she leaned forward again and wrapped Hermione in a tight hug.

"Thanks for letting me *hic* cry it out first *hic* Hermione," Ginny spoke to her hair. When she pulled away, Hermione thought she saw a shadow of pink on her cheeks.

"Anytime, my dear," she assured her, as she winked, "that's what friends are good for, right?"

"Righ*hic*t," Ginny giggled.

"Are you ready to talk about it now, do you think?" Hermione asked gently.

Ginny gave her a sweet smiled and replied, "Maybe *hic* after a glass of *hic* water?"

"Shit," Hermione exclaimed, as she jumped up from the sofa, "I am so sorry Ginny, how rude of me!" She looked highly embarrassed about forgetting her manners, but Ginny just laughed.

"No *hic* worries. Besides, you just *hic* spent a couple of hours comforti*hic* me. I think that makes *hic* you anything but *hic* rude."

"That's no excuse. Hold on, I'll be right back." Hermione said over her shoulder, already halfway to the kitchen. She had pulled out two glasses and was rummaging through a cupboard, when Ginny joined her in the kitchen.

"The view from your *hic* living room is amazing. I don't th*hic*nk I want to ruin it with this conversation. Do you *hic* mind if we sit in here?" she asked.

"Of course not, wherever you feel comfortable, honey." Hermione answered as she handed one of the glasses to her, though it was not filled with water. Ginny took a sip, but raised an amused eyebrow at her. "What? I hear firewhiskey takes hiccups away faster than water."

"Uh-huh," came the skeptical response, as Ginny plopped down at the kitchen table and sipped at her cup. Hermione joined her, and took a sip herself. After a few moments of silence, Hermione spoke again.

"See? I told you it'd take away your hiccups," Hermione laughed. Ginny looked surprised, then started laughing too. After another sip, she inhaled deeply and began.

"It all started with Ron, actually. He'd been in a foul mood since you left. It was getting worse and worse, every day. Harry and I got a little worried about him, so we went to talk to him today, well," she glanced at her watch, "yesterday, actually. He got really upset and wanted us to leave of course, but he eventually gave in. He told us he had found out where you'd gone and had tried to talk to you on Thursday, but that he found you in a restaurant having breakfast with Malfoy. We refused to believe him, so he showed us his memory in Harry's new Pensieve." She paused to take another drink, this one a bit bigger than the last, while Hermione blushed deeply, remembering that particular conversation. Before she could think of how to respond, Ginny continued. "I came back out feeling so angry at him, I could hardly see straight. I lost my head and started screaming at him, telling him that he had no right to talk to you that way. I asked him if he had ever considered the fact that you just want to make something out of your life. That maybe you weren't the type of woman who would be happy being at home all day, cooking dinner and popping out babies. You know what that fucker said? That Mum seemed perfectly happy with it, and he was sure I would be too, and soon. So that he couldn't see what was so wrong with that. I couldn't believe it! I exploded, and told him that while I would love to have a family one day, all I really wanted at twenty-one years of age was to make a career, maybe travel the world. That if he could really believe something like that of me, he obviously didn't know me, and that if he didn't know his own sister, then he probably didn't know you either. After that I just left Harry to deal with him, too angry to care." She paused in order to pay attention to her drink once again. This time, she gulped steadily for a few seconds, evidently bracing herself in order to continue.  
"Harry found me about an hour later, and wanted to talk about what I had said before I left. I think we both had some lingering anger from the confrontation with Ron, and soon we were fighting ourselves. I demanded to know what he wanted to do with his life, and were he wanted our relationship to go. It turns out that we both want very different things. He wanted me to change, and I him. Needless to say, neither of us gave in. I think I had known we were growing in different directions, but had just refused to see it. He wants to settle down, start a family, and forget about the rest of the evil world. I want to live my life fully, explore what else is out there, make my time on this planet and find the good in it. Sadly, it's almost a relief, now that we're over. To know I can be who I want to now, without having to worry about it fitting in with what he expects me to be." She looked up at Hermione, silently pleading with her eyes.

"I know how you feel, Ginny. It's a relief to finally let go, but heartbreaking because you're letting go of your Prince Charming. I felt the same way with Ron. You've imagined you will be with him forever. You've done it for so long, that it feels wrong to admit that he's no longer what you want. Don't worry," she reached across the table to squeeze Ginny's hand, "in the end, all that matters is that you make yourself happy."

"That's why I came to you. I knew you were the only one who could understand the awful bitter-sweetness I'm feeling." She sighed and finished her drink in one gulp. Hermione reached behind her to grab the bottle of firewhiskey off the counter. Once both glasses had been refilled, she left the bottle on the table.

"So… what do plan on doing now?" She asked Ginny as she took another drink.

"I'm not sure yet, but I don't think I can… I mean… I'm not ready to pretend everything is fine. I don't think I can go back to being friends just yet. I guess I could go explore the world for awhile; find out what it is want." She told her, giving her glass a slightly lopsided smile. Suddenly, Hermione gasped.

"Ginny, that's it!" she squealed, and then began talking rapidly. "That's exactly why I came out here in the first place. You can stay with me, I've got an extra bedroom. Actually, this place is enormous for just me anyway. Oh, and then, we can explore the world together. If this singing thing takes off, Malfoy said I could record an album, and there might be a tour after that. Oh this is so exciting, what do you think?" She stopped to catch her breath. Ginny was taking a drink, and choked a bit when she heard that Draco's name.

"Wait, Malfoy said what? Oh, and also, can you explain to me why he's representing you? Or was that just what you told Ron?" Ginny crossed her arms, showing Hermione that although she defended her in front of Ron, she too was perturbed by the idea of her 'hanging out' with Draco.

"Ugh. Ginny, listen. I'm not sure what has happened to Malfoy, but he seems to have changed for the better. Before you move to tear my head off, let me just clarify that I'm not defending him. Nor am I asking you to like him, of course, but I am telling you that I trust him."

"WHAT?" Ginny interrupted, looking scandalized.

"LET ME FINISH!" yelled Hermione, a little louder than she meant to. Her head was starting to feel a little fuzzy, and the firewhiskey seemed be going down a lot easier. "If he's going to be my representative, which he is, then I need to be able to trust him. I can't work with people I distrust. So I looked at the situation from a rational point of view, and made my decision. Basing myself not only on his recent behavior, but on everything I've ever known about him. It's all very strange, I mean, he's still the same Malfoy, but he's not. In fact, remember Blaise Zabini?" Ginny nodded reluctantly, "Well, the same thing goes for him. I had lunch with the two on Friday, and he was very nice to me. He actually has a great sense of humor. I didn't know him that well, to say that he's changed, but Malfoy maintains that Zabini was never very eager when it came to the Dark Arts or joining Voldemort's ranks. That he only did enough to keep up appearances and that was it. I don't know, but if they were close, they probably thought alike. Either way, I've decided to trust Malfoy. Don't worry, this doesn't mean that he's going to be my bosom buddy, just that we will be amicable co-workers. Well, technically, he works for me." She grinned at her girlfriend.

"Aarrgghh. Fine. I trust you, and if you trust him, then I'll at least consider doing the same. I'm guessing I'll have to see quite a bit of him if I do stay with you, so I might as well. Speaking of… Hermione, stay I did stay here with you, what could I do? I want to work you know, but what could I do around here? Work at the nightclub? Do you think they'd hire me?" Ginny looked at Hermione worryingly, who thought about it for a minute before a mischievous smile spread up her face. She suddenly jumped up and pulled the other girl back into the living room by the arm, headed towards her fireplace.

"You know what? We'll get Malfoy to find a good position for you. He can probably get you almost any job you want. You know how slick he is."

"Fuck, no!" Ginny shouted as she dug in her heels, stopping them halfway through the room. "There's no way in hell I will ask that ferret for help, not in a million years. That'll just give him something to hold over my head, and I refuse to owe Malfoy anything."

"Don't worry about that, you won't owe him a thing. I'll ask him to do it as a personal favor to me." Hermione batted her eyelashes at Ginny flirtatiously, which caused both witches to break out into hysterical giggles. "If that doesn't work, I'll just demand he do it. As my manager, his job is to make me happy, right? Now let's go." She walked up to the white marble fireplace a bit unsteadily and picked up a little rectangular box made of quartz, covered in seashells. She held it out to Ginny, who instead of taking the floo powder, tried another angle.

"It's one forty-two in the morning," she informed her as she pointed a weaving finger towards the clock on the mantle, "don't you think it would be rude to wake him up?" She looked pointedly at her.

"No, I don't, and we won't wake him up. We're only going to go check if he's in his office, but I'm sure he'll be there. You know, I could swear that man is a vampire. He never seems to find the need to sleep, though he doesn't shrivel up and die in sun, so I guess not." They both broke into side-splitting laughter, neither of them realizing that it was really not all that funny. Hermione recovered first and took the opportunity to grab onto Ginny's hand tightly and shove her into the fireplace. She stumbled in behind her quickly, threw the green powder around them and said, "114 Vertik Alley."

**.:*******:.****  
**

**A/N: Confused by the Malfoy/Draco switching back and forth? Hermione and Ginny still call him Malfoy, but the story's narrator refers to him as Draco.  
Thank you for reading! Please review? ;P  
**


	7. Drunken Dilemmas

**A/N: First and foremost, sorry that it's been so long since my last update. Lets just say life has a way of catching up to you at the most inconvenient times. To make it worse, I will be going on vacation to California for a week, so even though I will keep writing, I don't think I'll be able to update again until the beginning of January. Just thought I should warn you. ;D**

**Alright, so I received a review from Lya Darkfury (thank you! ;P) asking me why Hermione smokes if she is trying to become a singer. I know it doesn't make too much sense, but I'll try to explain my reasoning. Hermione went through a lot during and after the war. It has changed her in a few ways, and left her with some new issues. She was always one to throw herself into a challenge headfirst, rashly and proudly, like a true Gryffindor. However, she is now a little more cynical and therefore more reluctant to give something her all. She's afraid of being hurt, of trusting in something 100 percent, and mostly of hoping for something, only to have it taken away. So really, the fact that she didn't quit smoking as soon as she decided to accept the job isn't due to her stubbornness as much as a subconscious need to not let go. She is retaining that one last bit of "not taking it seriously enough to quit smoking" just in case her dreams do get crushed. Anyhow, hopefully that gives you more of an idea as to who I see Hermione being.**

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

**Previous Chapter**

"It's one forty-two in the morning," she informed her as she pointed a weaving finger towards the clock on the mantle, "don't you think it would be rude to wake him up?" She looked pointedly at her.

"No, I don't, and we won't wake him up. We're only going to go check if he's in his office, but I'm sure he'll be there. You know, I could swear that man is a vampire. He never seems to find the need to sleep, though he doesn't shrivel up and die in sun, so I guess not." They both broke into side-splitting laughter, neither of them realizing that it was really not all that funny. Hermione recovered first and took the opportunity to grab onto Ginny's hand tightly and shove her into the fireplace. She stumbled in behind her quickly, threw the green powder around them and said, "114 Vertik Alley."

**.:*******:.**

**Chapter 7**

**Drunken Dilemmas**

October 2nd, 2001

Tuesday

1:48 A.M.

The two witches stumbled out of the fireplace, clutching at each other in order to keep from collapsing to the ground. Hermione's head was spinning from the journey, and she took a deep steadying breath to subdue her sudden nausea. When her eyes were once again able to focus, she quickly grasped Ginny's hand and drug her to the nearest elevator, once again shoving the other girl in before her. She jabbed at the black button that had a silver number 23 upon its face. As the doors closed together softly, Ginny's brain seemed to finally catch up to her.

"What the FUCK, Hermione?" The redhead growled, as she glared malevolently at her friend.

"Hmmm?" Hermione looked at her, her eyes full of innocence. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that."

"I said, WHAT THE FUCK? I told you I didn't want anything, much less help, from that flea-infested ferret, and next thing I know you've forced me to come to his office!" Ginny clutched her head in her hands and let out a sound of frustration. "Ugh! I can't believe you!" She turned to the back of the elevator, her arms wound tightly across her chest. Sighing deeply, Hermione grasped the girl's shoulders and gently turned her back around.

"I'm sorry; it was very rude of me to just shove you into the floo." She told her in an exaggerated tone, and added an eye-roll for good measure. Ginny's bottom lip was still protruding slightly but Hermione thought she could see struggling against a smile. "Can't you just try to go with the flow? See where it is life leads you? You can't possibly find yourself until you learn to let yourself go." She did not have the slightest idea where this statement had come from (though she suspected it might have something to do with the firewhiskey), but it seemed to speak to her heart. Just at that moment, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors glided apart. She stepped out into the hallway and turned to look at Ginny expectantly. "Are you coming?"

Ginny seemed go through an internal struggle for several long seconds. "Fine!" she huffed as she stomped out of the elevator after Hermione, "I don't know how you always end up getting your way; I really don't. I can't believe I'm letting you drag me into this."

"Must be because you love me," Hermione giggled.

"It's really more of a love/hate thing at the moment," Ginny informed her with a glare.

Hermione laughed heartily as she linked their arms together and began to lead her towards Draco's office. They weaved their way down the hallway, and after a few seconds, Ginny's anger seemed to dissolve as she too began laughing. By the time they had reached the end of the hallway, they were both in hysterics, and Hermione couldn't stop laughing long enough to open the black maple door. The door was unexpectedly yanked open to reveal a shouting Draco, wand in hand and looking very aggravated. His hair was tousled, he was barefoot and his clothes were rumpled. His black button-down was half un-tucked out of his jeans, with his shirt sleeves were sloppily rolled half-way up his forearms, which allowed Hermione to see that he had covered up his Dark Mark by getting the Malfoy family crest tattooed over it. The sight caused some sobriety to seep back into her brain, and she stopped herself from taking an involuntary a step back. She had just tried to convince Ginny to trust him, and backing away from Draco wouldn't help her argument much.

"I told you I don't want your lousy fucking company, you asinine, money-hungry - " he stopped abruptly once his eyes focused on who exactly was standing there. Shock registered on his face, as he took in their appearance. Hermione blushed as she remembered that she was still in her black pajama shorts and tank top, her feet clad in furry black slippers, with her hair piled into a messy bun at the top of her head and held together by her wand. At least Ginny seemed more presentable in jeans and a white blouse, with a pair of sneakers; though it was still painfully obvious that she had been crying. A brief second later the shock vanished from his features, to be replaced with a perfectly neutral expression.

"Granger, Weasley," he said courteously, nodding to each of them in turn, "I wasn't expecting you. Please, come in." He stepped back and opened the door, motioning for them to enter. Hermione was about to remark on his opening statement, but decided against it. The subject obviously upset him, and she needed him to be in a giving mood at the moment. Therefore, she stepped through the door and followed him towards a few leather armchairs that were sitting around an elegant ebony fireplace, with a small matching ebony coffee table. There was an enormous desk in the corner made of the same beautiful black maple as the office door, but it was obvious that this is where he entertained his clients. When they were all seated, he looked at them and asked politely, "What business brings you ladies to my office at such an hour?"

"Well," Hermione croaked. She cleared her throat and began again, "Well, Malfoy, I was actually here to ask you for a favor." She tried to make her voice sound confident and sure, but now that she was here, ready to ask him for something, looking into his blue-gray eyes was slightly unnerving her. He seemed to sense her uneasiness, and stood abruptly.

"Would you care for a drink?" He asked as he reached the cut-crystal bottle that stood upon a corner of his desk. He didn't wait for an answer and simply proceeded to pour three glasses of an amber liquid, handing one to each of them before sitting back down. Hermione gave him a small smile that came out looking more like a grimace, then quickly took a few swallows. Squaring her shoulders, she looked back up into his eyes.

"Ginny is going to be staying with me indefinitely, and I was wondering if you could secure her a decent job. Perhaps at the club, or the hotel?" His expression didn't change, but his glance slid over to Ginny. When she felt him scrutinizing her, she quickly finished her already half-empty drink and set the empty glass on the coffee table. She looked at him with bloodshot eyes, silently daring him to ask why she needed to stay with Hermione. Instead, he raised his wand and summoned the bottle over to them. He refilled her glass and handed it back to her, still not saying a word. Ginny did not look at all appeased, but she took the glass and knocked it back.

"You might as well ask me now, Malfoy. I'm sure you're going to ask Hermione about it later, so just go ahead." She slurred at him, her voice full of bitterness. Draco silently contemplated her for a moment before speaking.

"Potter?" he asked. She gave him one curt nod in acknowledgment. "Then that's all I need to know. I might dislike him and be thrilled that, if my suspicions are correct, you're no longer with the idiot, however... I know that he would never stoop so low as to physically harm you. I don't really need to know anymore."

Ginny simply stared at Draco, completely at a loss of words (although it might have been because her brain was marinating in alcohol at the moment). Finally, she managed a slurred, "Thank you."

"It's none of my business, that's all." Draco told Ginny, who nodded at him in apparent agreement and then leaned back into the armchair, closing her eyes. "How did you two get here, anyway?" Draco turned his attention over to Hermione, smoothly changing the subject.

"We Flooed," she answered casually and shrugged her shoulders.

"I can never Floo after I've been drinking. Didn't it make you vomit?" He looked at her with one eyebrow raised, a smirk slowly making it's appearance. "All of a sudden I find myself grateful that you Flooed into the lobby, and not directly into my office."

Hermione leaned forward and tried to look him in the eye, which was a bit difficult since at that moment there seemed to be two sets of blue-gray eyes sitting across from her. "Of course I did not vomit in your lobby, Malfoy," she told him viciously, only to break into a smile seconds later. "Although it was close, to be honest," she stage-whispered, then giggled as she threw herself back into the armchair. She looked over to Ginny, and it was evident that she had fallen asleep. Hermione had just opened her mouth to tell Draco that she would now be taking Ginny home, but he beat her to it.

"That settles it, then. You and the Weaslette can stay here for tonight. I've got a bedroom of sorts here, for when I can't be bothered to go home. I'll owl Angie and Abril to let them know you'll be missing rehearsal tomorrow. I'll send one to Mikol as well, so he won't murder us both."

She was still trying to process what he had just said when he stood and drew his wand, pointing it at her friend. Reacting as fast as she could (which was not very fast, under the circumstances), she drew her own wand from her hair and pointed directly into Draco's face. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing Granger?" he asked, exasperated. "First of all, why in the name of Merlin would I want to harm her? And with a witness no less! I really didn't think a bit of alcohol would diminish your IQ by so much."

"Excuse me?" She bristled at the insult. "I do not become mentally incapacitated when I am drunk."

"Really? Because I thought I just explained that you and Weasley will be staying here tonight. You will splinch yourself if you try Apparating half way around the world, especially when you're drunk. If you floo, not only will you vomit this time, but you'll probably lose you're balance and fall out of a different fireplace. Not to mention you would be trying to support an unconscious girl at the same time. No matter how you look at it, this really is your only option. Now, if you would lower your wand, I will proceed to levitate her into bed." He stood there, looking at her expectantly. As the reality of his words sunk in, she blushed furiously and lowered her wand.

Draco gave his wand a swish and a flick, wordlessly levitating Ginny from the leather armchair. With Ginny floating alongside him and Hermione trailing behind, he walked behind his desk and tapped his wand on the section of bookcase directly behind his chair. It swung open to reveal a room that seemed to be part bedroom, part walk-in closet, and part filing cabinet. He walked in and gently placed Ginny unto the mattress. Walking back out he stopped at his desk and pulled out a length of parchment and a black-feathered quill from the top drawer. He ripped the parchment in half and then quickly wrote out two short letters. After sealing them, he turned around, opened his office window and let out a low whistle. Not even a minute later, a small Saw Whet owl swooped in and landed on top of the desk with a little hop. He couldn't be more than seven inches length, had white and brown colored feathers, and a pair of glowing

"Einstein, deliver these to Abril Cevallos and then to Mikol Aalif. He'll probably want to send a reply." Draco told the owl as he tied both scrolls to his outstretched leg.

"Einstein?" Hermione scoffed. "Really? Why?"

"Well, lets see… He was a great man, and a brilliant wizard who forged new paths in Arthimancy and Science, forever changing the way we looked at light, time, space, energy and gravity. It might have something to do with that." He replied as he closed the window behind the departing owl.

"Hmmm," she hummed thoughtfully, "I never knew you to be so profound…"

"I'm not really." He smiled as he turned back towards her, "I just think he looks a bit like the man. The white feathers on his head grow in every direction, and his big yellow eyes always look surprised and slightly mad." He shook his head in amusement as she erupted into giggles. "You know this changes things, right?" he asked her, unexpectedly serious.

"Huh?" She blinked at him a few times. She didn't understand how his owl's name could possibly change anything, and said so.

"No, no. I meant having Weasley stay with you. The papers will get wind of this and they'll twist it around. They'll say you've both run away from home, behaving like immature adolescents who cannot cope with losing their boyfriends. I seriously doubt that they'll portray you in too bad of a light since we have Blaise on our side, but it'll only cause the public to pity you. That's not what you need right now, as pity doesn't sell tickets. You need to be perceived as a strong-willed, self-sufficient, keen-minded, independent woman." He plopped down into his office chair, opened the top drawer once again, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"But that's exactly what I am!" She told him in exasperation as she hopped up on his desk and snatched away the cigarette he had just placed between his lips and lit. "And he was not my boyfriend! At least, he hadn't been for the past year!" She added as an after-thought.

"Well, yes." He said, looking a bit peeved as he replaced his cigarette with a fresh one. "However, in spite of what you and I know to be a fact, the world is still going to create an image of you based solely on a photograph, a leaked confidential medical record, or a ten -year-old diary that was somehow still floating about. The public has short-term memory loss. They forget that they loved you only a few years ago if the papers are saying that you now ought to be hated. It's ridiculous, but that is why I'm here, remember? I'll tell you what it is you should do to get them to see the image of you that you want."

"Well Mr. Manager, what do you suggest I should do about it?" She asked him warily. She could feel herself starting become a bit more sober and it was making her head hurt, which in turn made her irritable. Draco sighed heavily, as if already knowing she would not like the idea.

"I think you should go out on a few dates, let yourself be seen by some reporters. Although not all with the same guy. It's too soon after this big life-change for you to be in a steady relationship. It will only make the Rita Skeeters of the world speculate as to whether or not you've been seeing him behind the Weasel's back and this is all so that you could be with him openly."

"That's outrageous!" She exclaimed in a cloud of smoke, gesticulating wildly.

"Of course it is. On the other hand, everyone will simply assume that you've moved on with your life if you're seen out having fun every now and then."

"That doesn't sound like fun to me, that sounds like absolute torture." She informed him with a glare. "I am done with men. At least for the next few years, I am. Males seem to have a talent for enraging me with their ineptitude, and even if it's only a few meaningless dates, I can do without the added drama to my life."

"Let me see if I'm understanding you correctly." A devious smile was forming at his lips, though he attempted to hide it by dragging on his cigarette. "Are you saying that you wouldn't have fun with male company? That no matter who it was, you wouldn't enjoy it?"

"That is _exactly_ what I'm saying," she told him with a smirk. "All men are the same; know one and you know them all."

He stood from the chair so rapidly that before she knew what was happening, he was directly in front of her, leaning towards her as he placed both his hands on the desk on either side of her. With only about five inches between them, he spoke again. "Are you sure about that?" His voice was rough and his blue-gray eyes bored down into her honey-colored ones. Her mouth opened as if to reply, but not a single sound came out. She knew what he was trying to do, so she didn't want to back away, but being that close to him was seriously impairing her ability to speak. Was is ironic that her heart seemed to speed up even as her thought process came to a screeching halt?

The sound of whimpering came from behind Draco, and that was what broke the spell and brought her back into reality. He straightened and turned his head to look through the open door towards the bed. Leaning to her left in order to look around his shoulder, she saw that Ginny was restlessly tossing about the mattress, although the whimpering had ceased. Seizing the opportunity, Hermione attempted to steer the conversation into less dangerous waters.

"Poor Ginny. I think she might have known it was over a long time ago, but it's hard to admit the fact that what you want isn't what everyone expects from you."

"Yeah... I know all about that," he said quietly, looking out of the window at a lightening sky contrasted against the jagged horizon made by skyscrapers. It seemed as though her change of subject had unintentionally poked at old wounds. "You should probably get in there in go to sleep yourself before you begin to sober. It's never pleasant when you're still conscious as a hangover kicks in. I should have a job lined up for her by the time you wake." He sat at the desk once more, but did not look back up at her.

"You're right, I suppose. Thank you for your help, Malfoy." She slipped off the desk and quickly walked into the bedroom/closet/storage, closing the door behind her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Recent events would have to be replayed, analyzed and dissected, but that could wait until after she slept. If she thought about it now then she wouldn't be able to go to sleep at all, not to mention the fact that she was feeling more and more exhausted by the second.

She somehow managed to drag her feet over to the bed, and slipped into the covers next to Ginny. Within a minute of her curls touching the pillow, she was asleep.

And that is how Hermione found herself in New York, sleeping in an office building within Vertik Alley, drunk, next to a distraught Ginny, and with Draco Malfoy of all people, watching over them.

.:*******:.


	8. Hangovers and Headaches

**A.N.: Sorry it's been so long! My holidays were wonderful (I hope yours were too :D), and therefore left little time for writing. I've just finished this chapter and wanted to get it out now and start the year off right, so hopefully you won't mind that it hasn't seen a beta. I'll repost it once I have, but for now you'll just have to grin and bear it. Thanks for reading! Please review! **

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

Previous Chapter

"_Poor Ginny. I think she might have known it was over a long time ago, but it's hard to admit the fact that what you want isn't what everyone expects from you."_

"_Yes… I know all about that," he said quietly, looking out of the window at a lightening sky contrasted against the jagged horizon made by skyscrapers. "You should probably get in there in go to sleep yourself before you begin to sober. It's never pleasant when you're still conscious as a hangover kicks in." He sat at the desk once more, but did not look back up at her._

"_You're right, I suppose. Thank you for your help, Malfoy." She slipped off the desk and quickly walked into the bedroom/closet/storage, closing the door behind her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Recent events would have to be replayed, analyzed and dissected, but that wait until after she slept. If she thought about it now then she wouldn't be able to go to sleep at all, not to mention the fact that she was feeling more and more exhausted by the second._

_She somehow managed to drag her feet over to the bed, and slipped into the covers next to Ginny. Within a minute of her curls touching the pillow, she was asleep in New York, in an office building within Vertik Alley, drunk, next to a distraught Ginny, and with Draco Malfoy watching over them. _

.:*******:.

Chapter 8

Hangovers and Headaches

October 2nd, 2001

Tuesday

11:37 A.M.

It was the smell of coffee that awoke Hermione to a world that seemed to rotate on it's axis without any regard for the laws of physics. She slammed her eyes shut again and whimpered into her pillow as pain hit her head like a sledgehammer. No, that wasn't right. Not her pillow, _his_ pillow. The thought caused her eyes to fly open once more as she sat bolt upright in the bed, gasping. The previous nights events suddenly came rushing back and she clutched her head in her hands, groaning.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation, she became aware of the smell that had woken her. Looking around for the source, her eyes widened as she spotted a silver tray resting atop a nearby filing cabinet. It was laden with a silver carafe, two matching coffee cups, cream and sugar. Next to her, Ginny began to stir and opened one eye blearily to look at Hermione.

"I smell coffee" Ginny mumbled through a yawn.

"I had just spied it myself, dear." Hermione informed her. After managing to extract herself from the bedcovers, she made her way through the scattered boxes to the filing cabinet in order to explore the tray's contents more in depth. The movement caused her head to began pounding with renewed vigor, and she grumbled aloud. "Good grief! My head feels like it's about to split in two!"

"Honestly woman! Sometimes I think you forget you're a witch." Ginny reprimanded her as she walked up to where she stood, pulled her wand out of her hair and handed it to her. The smirk she gave her as she began to pour herself coffee was good enough to make any Slytherin jealous. "Magic can cure headaches, you know."

"Don't you smart mouth me, missy. I did just wake up thirty seconds ago," Hermione responded defensively, though she was silently rejoicing that Ginny seemed to have woken in better spirits. "You can't seriously expect my neurons to be working properly yet. Especially not with this fucking hangover." She growled the last part as her throbbing brain have a particularly painful twinge. Deciding that the faster the pain was gone, the better, she quickly waved her wand and muttered an incantation "_Cura Capitis."_ The pain vanished immediately, and she breathed deeply in relief. As she poured herself a cup of coffee and went to replace the carafe upon the tray, she saw that a neatly folded piece of parchment had been tucked in underneath it. She carefully unfolded the note and let her eyes scan it quickly.

_Ladies,_

_Here is some coffee to help you feel a bit better this morning. I have a few business matters to attend to, but I shall be back by lunchtime in order to discuss with you the position I've secured for Ms. Weasley._

_-D.M._

Hermione handed the note over to Ginny for her to read, as she added cream and sugar to her coffee. She took a sip of the heavenly brew and looked up to see a shocked-looking Ginny.

"He's managed to find a job for me already?"

"That's what it says… but we'll have to see if it's a decent one." She was taking another sip of her coffee, when a thought suddenly made her sputter into her cup. "What time is it?" she asked, looking around the room wildly before mumbling "_Tempus_" with a wave of her wand.

"Gads! He'll be here in fifteen minutes, and we look like we just woke up, Ginny!"

"_Maybe_, because we just did," Ginny chuckled. "Come over here, I'll fix you up in no time, darling." With a few swishes and flicks of her wand, she had transfigured Hermione's tank-top into a flowy, silk lavender and lime green top, her shorts into a black skirt, and her slippers into a pair of black sandals with a small heel. A few more flicks, and her hair smoothed enough to transform the frizziness into waves. "Perfect!" she proclaimed, as she conjured a full-length mirror and began to transfigure her clothes as well.

"I don't know Gin, I'm not big on skirts." Hermione explained as she tugged at the hem of said skirt.

"It looks good on you, I promise. You really should show off your legs a bit more, you know." Ginny said as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had dressed herself in a brownish-gold, curve-hugging, strapless dress. To top it off, she had transfigured her sneakers into a nude-colored pair of pumps.

"Well, now that I look at _your_ outfit, I feel a bit better," she laughed as Ginny punched her arm playfully.

"Honestly, you make it sound as if I was dressed scandalously." Ginny said, her voice full of hurt as she sat on the edge of the bed and sipped at her coffee.

"Don't even try to pull that one on me," Hermione warned her as she helped herself to a second cup of coffee and plopped herself down next to Ginny. Just then they heard the sound of the office's main door slamming open, and the voice of a very irate Draco filled the airwaves.

"Does it look like a give a flying fuck at the moment? Just send him a bloody owl! Tell him I need him here as soon as humanly possible."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy," came the response from his secretary, Crissy, followed by the soft click of the door as she (presumably) retreated back down to the desk in the lobby. The door that lead from the back room into the main office was thrown open as Draco swooped into the room, strode over to the bed and threw a copy of that morning's _The Rotten Apple_ on Hermione's lap.

"I'm sorry Weasley," he fumed, looking towards Ginny, "but your brother is the most inconsiderate asshole I've ever had the displeasure of meeting."

"And a good morning to you as well, kind sir." Hermione interjected before her friend had a chance to react to the insult. She looked down at the tabloid in her lap in order to conceal the smile tugging at her lips, and was shocked to see a picture of herself staring back from the front cover. Beneath the picture the headline screamed "HERMIONE GRANGER: GOLDEN GIRL NO MORE?"

"It most certainly has not been a good morning. I was at the American Ministry, which is where I found that rag for sale," he pointed towards Hermione's lap, "and, naturally everyone there assumed it was true." He sighed as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Which of course made things very awkward, as most people didn't even bother to conceal their stares and whispers."

"What in the hell has my dumb-ass brother done this time?" Ginny asked rhetorically as she snatched the tabloid out of Hermione's hands, only to have it promptly snatched back.

"Excuse me, but if the article is about me, then I get to read it first." Hermione informed her as she leafed through the pages until she found said article. Ginny scooted closer on the bed in order to look over her shoulder as she read.

_Britain's Golden Girl Shows Her Dark Side_

_By Amber Grayscale_

_As was reported this last Thursday by the media worldwide, Hermione Granger has left her home in England for a plush penthouse suite in the Bahamas. The reason behind it: to pursue a singing career at Aura, the new wizarding nightclub located inside the Atlantis resort, and set to open it's doors next weekend. At least, that was the reason given to the media by her manager, Draco Malfoy, (see insert at left) though as new information comes to light, one can't help but wonder whether it was all just an elaborate cover story._

_"Everything seemed fine, and then one day, she just suddenly up and left." Ron Weasley, her childhood friend and, until recently, her boyfriend, told The Rotten Apple in an exclusive interview. "Nothing about this nightclub was ever mentioned to anyone, at least not that I know of."_

_According other sources, it is very uncharacteristic of Hermione not to tell anyone about such a life-altering event, and though some assume she might be acting out because of the loss of her parents, her ex suspects differently._

_"I expect it has something to do with that Malfoy bloke. I went to go find her, to talk to her, and I found her sitting in a restaurant with him, laughing at something he said. I mean, they used to hate each other's guts in school for crissakes! How can you hate someone, not see them for years, and then, out of the blue, you're friends?"_

_It certainly seems as though something doesn't quite add up. Though I loath to do so, I feel obligated to point out that all signs point towards one thing: Hermione has given up her friends, job (Muggle Liaison Office, British MoM), and boyfriend, to run off with another man. We hope that her enthusiasm and level of commitment are reciprocated by Draco, who in the past was notorious for his womanizing ways._

"AARRGGHH! I'm going to KILL that fucking bastard!" Hermione exclaimed as she stood from the bed and threw the magazine at the far wall, unable to keep reading the offensive material. She relished the sound it made as it smacked against it and slid to the floor. "We broke up a dammed year ago! How in the _fuck_ is that recently?" She continued to seethe as she began to pace back and forth in agitation.

"I see what you mean, mate. She _does _seem like a violent woman when she's angry."

The voice startled all three of them, and Hermione spun around to find Blaise leaning casually against the doorframe, smirking at he scene before him. Her mind was still recovering from the sudden interruption of it's train of thought, and as a result she was left standing in the middle of the room, staring at the newcomer.

"Well at least she's learned to control herself over the years and takes it out on the walls now, instead of on my nose." Draco sniggered. Comprehension dawned on Hermione and she smirked at the comment.

"I take it out on whoever was at fault. The wall has simply become the default option when the culprit happens to be conveniently absent."

"I see… and who might the absentee culprit be this time?" Blaise asked with humor in his voice. Hermione opened her mouth to inform him of Ron's stupidity when Ginny's voice cut her off.

"It was my brother, the brainless wonder." She shook her head and sighed in resignation. "I swear to Godric, there are times when I'm ashamed that he's a Weasley." Blaise turned to look at her, and his eyes widened in surprise and recognition.

"My, my, Weasley. You've certainly grown up since Hogwarts, haven't you?" He said cheekily, as his eyes swooped her up and down openly. Ginny blushed so thoroughly at his words, that her face became the same shade as her hair.

"Keep it in your pants, Blaise. I asked you to come over so that you could help me fix this little problem, not so you could flirt with my client's stylist." Draco drawled lazily as he examined his fingernails. Ginny head swiveled so fast it seemed in danger of coming off her shoulders.

"Stylist? Really?" She squealed in delight as she turned to look at Hermione with a grin. "That's absolutely perfect, isn't it 'Mione?"

"Gin, for the last time, I absolutely _refuse_ to let you call me that. It sounds ridiculous, and I will have none of it."

"Yeah, yeah… aren't you excited? I'm going to be your stylist!" she giggled.

"Of course I'm excited, honey." Hermione chuckled. "I couldn't have thought of a better job for you myself. Good job, Malfoy," she added as she smiled in his direction.

"Alright, so for a recap, because I'm beginning to get a migraine," he said in an exasperated voice, "I'm wonderful, Granger's got violent tendencies, Weasley's job is amazing, the other Weasley is the world's greatest idiot, and Blaise is the horny mess that will help us fix the media's atrocious mistake. Now that we got that all settled, can we get down to business?"

.:*******:.


	9. Shocking Statements & Solutions

**A.N.: So, when I first started this story, I had a pretty decent amount of free time during my day and I thought it would be a piece of cake. Not so much. These days, it seems like everyone else around me needs to have their needs fulfilled before my own, and so, it's getting harder and harder to find the time to spend on this fic. Though I will keep writing until my muse is satisfied. ;) To be honest, the only reason I even got this chapter done is because I got sick and was therefore confined to my room for a few days. ;) Also, I will be changing the title slightly, probably next update. Just thought I'd warn you. :D**

**.:*Atlantis*:.**

Previous Chapter

"_Alright, so for a recap, because I'm beginning to get a migraine," he said in an exasp__erated voice, "I'm wonderful, Granger's got violent tendencies, Weasley's job is amazing, the other Weasley is the world's greatest idiot, and Blaise is the horny mess that will help us fix the media's atrocious mistake. Now that we got that all settled, can we get down to business?"_

.:*******:.

**Chapter 9**

**Shocking Statements & Solutions**

October 2nd, 2001

Tuesday

1:05 P.M.

"Although that is true," Blaise explained politely to an aggravated Hermione, in a tone of voice which made it clear that his patience was begging to wear thin, "you would only be supplying the tabloids with yet another aspect of your life for them to fixate themselves with. As I said before, there is only one thing you can do that will give you the results you want."

"Yes, but as _I_ stated before, I am _not_ willing to pretend that Malfoy and I are really a couple!" Hermione exclaimed as she set her coffee cup down table between them with a clatter before firmly crossing both arms and legs. From her left came the sound of Ginny clearing her throat, and she turned towards her friend.

"Hermione, dear," Ginny began in a gentle voice, "as much as I hate to admit it, I've got to agree with Zabini on this." Her statement was greeted with stunned silence from Hermione and a smug smirk from Blaise. She cleared her throat once more and continued in a more offhanded manner. "Well he's making sense, you know. We've sat here and tried to find another solution for almost an hour now and none of the ideas we came up with were likely to work."

"Not to mention the fact that some of your 'solutions' were beginning to get a little far-fetched." Blaise added supportively. "Would you really rather buy a Healer's testimony that you are sick with some strange and obscure malady that requires you to reside in Bahamian weather? Or pretending that you indeed already have a boyfriend, just a different one, and proceeding to pull some new guy out of thin air? You'd have to hire someone for that one too, and when you lie, you want to keep the number of people in the loop as low as possible. The less people know about a lie, the easier it'll be to maintain that it. That's something any first year Slytherin could tell you. You know, I think you should spend more time with him, anyway." He cocked his head towards the blonde to his left as chuckled. "It seems to me like you need some Slytherin in you," he winked mischievously, causing Hermione to feel suddenly flushed. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She knew she should say something, and though she did attempt to protest, she ended up mumbling unclearly in the direction of her shoes.

"You really only have two options here," the redhead brought the conversation back to the original topic soundly distinctly annoyed. "You either confirm or deny what that hag printed. Obviously, it'll be hard to prove that you _didn't_ do something, and without offering any proof, it's not likely that they'll believe you. They'll be expecting you to deny it, so it'll only confirm it in their minds"

"Exactly!" Blaise exclaimed, jumping into the conversation once more. "On the other hand, if you were to admit to the relationship and defend your right to it, you will gain their respect."

"You only need to wait two, maybe three months," Ginny spoke up, "and then you can break it off. No one will be too surprised that it didn't work out. You're gonna get a lot of 'I told you so's' but that just means they sympathize. Most celebrity couples don't date for too long these days, anyway."

"And what about the obvious fact that we hated each other throughout school and both played important roles on different sides of the war?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Don't you think people will question how it is that we suddenly got over these differences?"

"Let me ask you this," Blaise responded as he leaned forward in his chair. "Weren't the two of you managing to get along before this whole fiasco? I believe you two had, in fact, gotten over your differences and had become at least somewhat friendly towards each other. I'm sorry, but the possibility of a romance springing from friendship isn't as far-fetched as some of the others I've heard today." He smirked across the table at her.

"Stranger couples have happened," Ginny agreed as she shot Blaise a fleeting glance. "It's not like you'd be the first two opposites to attract."

"I hear it happens quite often." Blaise added through a grin.

"Well, someone obviously thought it was plausible enough that they should print the damn story," Ginny helpfully pointed out.

"That doesn't mean a thing. People believe that there are extraterrestrial civilizations _somewhere_ out in the universe. So? That doesn't mean there are any. They believe in vehemently, and even though any proof they have is circumstantial at best, they are still able to publish their theories."

"Sorry, but I don't see what extraterrestrials have to do with you and Malfoy." Ginny interjected in a slightly exasperated tone.

"All I'm trying to say is that just because it was _printed_…. Ugh, never mind. The point is, I just don't think I can do it."

The latter statement seized Draco's attention. He had been sitting in the armchair opposite Hermione for the past forty minutes, and he hadn't moved an inch or said a word. He had sat with his head leaning forward, eyes firmly closed, pressing upon his temples with his index fingers. His eyes flew open and lifted his stormy gaze as Hermione finished speaking. She saw emotion flash in those eyes, but an instant later it was gone, too brief for her to identify it.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I was under the impression that it was _your_ public image that we were trying to rescue here. You are not obligated to do _anything_,and I personally am not going to try to convince you to do something that so obviously revolts you." Draco's cold voice sliced right through her and left her feeling slightly ashamed. His expression had remained impassive while he spoke, but she thought that perhaps it had been hurt that she had briefly glimpsed. As abnormal as that sounded to her, she realized that, in either case, she hadn't even bothered to sound considerate about his feelings on the matter. She had assumed that he would have as much of an aversion to the idea as she did, though she could see now how her flat refusal might have sounded harsh to his (over-inflated) ego. She might not be in the habit of considering this particular man's feelings, but that did not justify her being rude. He might not have spent the past hour trying to convince her to fake-date him, but he also hadn't objected, and certainly not as vociferously as she had. So far, he had done nothing but try and make her career a success, and here she was…

"Malfoy, look, I shouldn't have….I didn't mean…. What I mean to say, is…" She sighed in exasperation and began again with a different approach. "Draco, I apologize. I realize that I reacted in a somewhat childish manner, and that I was… unnecessarily overdramatic."

Her gaze dropped to her lap and she noticed her foot had been jiggling up and down with anxiety. She had absolutely no idea where that anxiety had come from, and if she hadn't been concentrating on keeping her hands still in her lap, she might have thought it strange. Draco contemplated her silently for what seemed like a painfully long time. Just as the silence was beginning to turn awkward, Blaise stood, clearing his throat in the process.

"Well, I think you two need to finish this conversation on your own, so I'll excuse myself. Owl me when you've finished and let me know what it is you want me to print." He turned towards Ginny and added, "I'm famished. Would you like to join me for lunch while we let these two sort out their differences?" Ginny turned to look at Hermione, an unspoken question in her eyes.

"Go ahead Ginny, I'll meet back up with you at the hotel later on today." she told her friend through a strained smile.

"Well, lunch does sound good right about now." Ginny smiled as she tuned back towards Blaise.

"Well then gorgeous, what are we waiting for?" Blaise said as he flashed her his thousand-watt-smile. Ginny stood and took his proffered arm, a slight reddish tint on her cheeks, and walked out of the office door without as much as a single backwards glance.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the office became deathly quiet again and Hermione was forced to look up into the icy grey eyes across from her. Except this time, his eyes weren't cold and completely devoid of emotion, this time she could clearly see what swam in those eyes. Caution. Her words had obviously hurt him on some level, even if he wouldn't show it. Except, he was showing it now, wasn't he? It was clear to her that he was purposefully letting his mask slip, but what could be the reason? Was he still willing to go along with the dating charade? And most importantly, did she want him too? As she tried to think of what she could possibly say to him, a smirk slowly crawled up his left cheek.

"Yes."

"Excuse me?" Hermione suddenly panicked. Had she unconsciously spoken aloud?

"Since you were wondering. Or were you not trying to figure out whether or not I was still willing to help you?" Hermione laughed in part relief, part anxiety. Was she really that easy to read? She would have to work on that later.

"So…yes?" She asked timidly.

"Yes."

"Why?" She was genuinely curious, and it was his turn to laugh.

"Because you are my client and I want your career to succeed." He pulled a cigarette pack from his shirt pocket and lit it as he continued. "Because my career's success largely depends upon _your_ career's success. Because I don't blame you for overreacting to the idea… but mostly, because you apologized."

He sounded sincere. He really, truly did. Which is what made her become suspicious. Since the day they had reencountered in the lobby he had been polite, courteous, nice, even charming. She was sure that he genuinely wanted to get along. She was also sure that he could still manipulate people as easily as an Imperius curse and with less effort. He was not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve unless there was an advantage to it. Since she had no idea what his motive might be, she decided to redirect the conversation and attempt to find out.

"Mind if I have one of those?" Hermione pointed at his breast pocket. He hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pocket. Immediately, she latched unto that hesitation as a means to change the subject.

"I don't want to hear it, Draco." She told him as she reached across the table to snatch the offered cigarette from his fingers. His eyes had widened when she had so casually used his first name again, and it seemed to her that he was holding back a smug smile. "I know I should quit if I want my singing to go anywhere; I got a lecture from both Abril and Angelique about it. In my defense, I have cut back a lot. I've only been smoking two, sometimes three a day." If this is really all about my career then surely he'll try to talk me into quitting smoking, she thought. He simply shrugged indifferently and leaned in to light her cigarette, speaking as he settled back into his seat.

"It's your choice to make, not mine."

Though he spoke offhandedly, the double-meaning came across painfully clear. Suddenly, she couldn't stand to look at him anymore. He was confusing her more and more by the second, and she attempted to regain clarity by removing herself from the situation. Silently, she stood and walked to the window to look out upon the landscape of twisted steel and glass buildings that rose against the sky. As much as she might try, she just could not seem to figure this man out! She still wasn't clear on what his motives where, if any, or how honest he was really being. Curious to see how he would react if she opened up a bit more to him, she sighed heavily and spoke without turning, surreptitiously watching his reflection on the window pane.

"I won't lie; I'm quite terrified at the moment. I am taking such a high risk as it is, in a sense gambling with my future, which is so unlike me. I usually prefer to avoid risks, as I feel that enough of them find me on their own. And with good reason, apparently, because, well, just look at me. Here I am, having not even debuted yet and already I feel sabotaged. I have no idea what the right thing to do is, or which path to take. I'm thoroughly and entirely confused." His expression had remained impassive throughout her confession. Disappointed at his lack of reaction, she drew on her cigarette and was surprised when her breath shook slightly.

"Hermione." It was the first time he had used her given name without it being for someone else's benefit, and the realization made her stomach give an involuntary flip-flop. She berated herself silently for having such a reaction as he continued in that same intriguing tone of voice that implied total honesty. "Everyone has to make mistakes in their lifetime in order to learn. Though this situation could prove to be a mistake, it wouldn't be in the way that you're thinking. That is why this sham of a relationship will be credible, because it'll be just that: a mistake. It's pretty straightforward. You pretend to go out with me. You pretend to come to your senses and break up with me. We pretend to be adult enough to move on and yet continue a business relationship. Just let people assume that dating me was just one of those touchstone mistakes that you're bound to make in your life."

From the moment Hermione first saw her face plastered across the pages of _The Rotten Apple_, she had been trying to repress the small, nagging voice in the back of her mind trying to tell her that there was no other way. The fact was that she still hadn't even had time to process her reaction to his nearness the night before, and even though it might make sense at the moment for her to enter into a relationship (albeit a fake one) with him, she didn't want to confuse herself by having to pretend that those feelings were really there whilst out in public. Hence the repressing of thoughts and, consequently, the manifestation of a voice in her head. Except that the voice would be ignored no longer, and she was forced to accept that which it had been trying to tell her all along. It was her only option.

She took a deep breath and turned away from the window. Determinedly avoiding his gaze, she walked over to the coffee table and stubbed out the remainder of her cigarette. Only after sinking back down into the into the seat she had previously occupied, did she finally look up into his eyes. He had been looking at her pensively.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Since you were wondering."

"I see…" he replied with a crooked smile. "In that case, I'll go ahead and start preparing a statement to give to Blaise." He stood, walked over to his desk and began doing exactly that. Hermione nodded, suddenly aware of being tired she felt.

"Well," she mumbled through a yawn, "I feel mentally, emotionally and physically _exhausted_, and since you were nice enough to cancel with the girls for me today, I think I'll go back to my room, take a bath and crawl into bed."

"Sounds good," he nodded absently as he continued to scribble upon a length of parchment. "I'll pick you up tomorrow after your lessons, so we can go to lunch and make our first public appearance as a couple."

"Alright, I'll see you then." She had been tempted to argue, but she really did feel drained, and honestly, what would be the point? So after checking that her wand was still firmly tucked into her hair, she walked over to the fireplace, threw in a pinch of floo powder from the silver snuffbox on the mantle, and disappeared into the emerald flames

She stepped out into her serene sitting room and immediately felt lighter. Now that she finally found herself alone, she felt much calmer. She made her way over to her bedroom and flopped down onto her bed. She intended to rest for just a few minutes, but she became drowsy as soon as her head hit the pillow and was asleep before she knew it. Sometime later she was woken by the sound of an insistent tapping. She opened her eyes blearily and blinked around her room slowly, sure that something had woken her. A few seconds later her sleep-fuzzy brain registered the tapping. Finally glancing up at her bedroom window, she gave a sharp intake of breath. She immediately recognized the beautiful owl that stood outside her window, it was Silas,the chocolate-brown-and-white Spectacled Owl that had had the pleasure of becoming Hedwig's successor. Jumping to her feet, she practically ran to the window before throwing it open. The magnificent owl hopped inside, hooting at her in a reproachful manner and looking slightly miffed. He must have been at the window for quite a while, and she tried to soothe him by giving him a few owl treats before removing the scroll tied to his leg. After making sure to give Silas a drink of water, she sent him off and unfurled the parchment with excitement and anxiety in equal measure.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Yes, I saw the article. No, I'm not angry. All I have to say on the matter is, that you have the right to be with whoever makes you happy, and if that person happens to be Draco Malfoy, then I respect your choice._

_But to be honest, I'm not writing to discuss your love life. I really need to talk to you. I have something I want to tell you, and would like to do it in person. We can go to dinner at The Melting Cauldron, since you love fondue so much. What do you say? Meet me at Grimmauld Place tonight at eight?_

_Missing you,_

_Harry_

She immediately walked over to her bed stand, where she had stowed her writing utensils, and pulled out quill, ink and parchment. After readying all her materials upon the dining table, she dipped her quill, pondered for a few moments, then put thoughts to parchment.

_Dear Harry,_

_I would love to have dinner with you, I've missed you . Though I was wondering, would perhaps Kreacher be up to making us something? I'd much rather talk there, than at a restaurant. I'll explain my reasons when I see you. Oh, and yes, eight o'clock would be fine._

_Love Always,_

_Hermione_

She looked the note over with an air of approval. It was friendly, but to the point. She felt comfortable enough with Harry that, considering she had only seen him six days ago, she didn't feel as if she needed to be overly courteous in her reply. Satisfied, she rolled it up, tied it with a pretty lilac colored ribbon, and marched out the door in search of an owl. A few seconds later she quickly retreated as she realized that she was still wearing her pajamas. After quick trip to the closet, she was clad in a pair of jeans and a blouse made of a floaty wine-colored material. Her outfit was accentuated with earrings and a pair of heels in the same color as her top. She removed her wand from her hair, allowing it to cascade down her back and walked out the door once again, ready to resume her quest.

* * *

**A.N.: Love it? Hate it? Not good enough for you to feel either? Let me know! Although updates will probably continue to be erratic at best, it definitely urges me to write whenever I get reviews so…. Please, please, pretty please? I'm willing to bribe you with chocolate… XD**


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